Athletics News

Theo Gregory currently oversees community outreach programs as a senior vice president at the El Pomar Foundation focusing on at-risk youth, ethnic minorities, emerging leadership development, and amateur sports, and is assistant to the president/CEO at Colorado Springs Sports Corporation. Prior to these roles, Mr. Gregory was director of athletics and associate director, Center for the Study of Sport and Leisure, at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, and associate athletic director for academic affairs at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Mr. Gregory also serves on the boards of the Junior Achievement of Southern Colorado, Inc., the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the Broadmoor World Arena, Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) Colorado Section and is a member of the Council on Foundations Committee on Inclusiveness. Mr. Gregory earned his bachelor’s degree from Savannah State College and a master’s degree in physical education and a doctoral candidate (ABD) in sport studies at The Ohio State University. He holds an honorary doctorate of business administration in sports, entertainment and event management from Johnson and Wales University.

Marilyn M. Thomas

Marilyn Thomas, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, Washington, D.C. Thomas serves as the principal adviser to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force on all financial matters. She has oversight of the budgeting, cost estimating and financial operations of more than $167 billion in annual resources in support of Air Force priorities and at the direction of the Congress, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Air Force. A native of Stillwater, Oklahoma, she began her career with the Air Force as a Palace Acquire intern upon graduation from Oklahoma State University. She has held progressively more responsible positions within the Air Force and the Marine Corps in the areas of budget formulation, program integration and resource management.

Allan McArtor

Allan McArtor is chairman of Airbus Americas, Inc. He oversees the activities and strategy of Airbus in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Additionally, McArtor continues to serve as Chairman of Airbus Americas, Inc., and its subsidiaries. In this leadership role in the Americas, he has enhanced relationships with Airbus’ customers, suppliers and government representatives. He was instrumental in establishing the A320 Aircraft Assembly Line in Mobile, Alabama. Throughout his career McArtor has held a series of leadership and senior management positions in the military, civil and government sectors. Before joining Airbus, he was founder, chairman and CEO of Legend Airlines, a regional airline based at Dallas Love Field, Texas. President Ronald Reagan appointed McArtor to serve as the Administrator of the FAA from 1987 to 1989. McArtor is a 1964 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and was Cadet Wing Commander. He was also a highly decorated combat fighter pilot in Vietnam, an associate professor of engineering at the Academy, and capped his Air Force career as a pilot with the U. S. Air Force Thunderbirds.

Rodney D. Bullard

Rodney Bullard is currently Vice President of Community Affairs at Chick-fil-A, Inc. and Executive Director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation where he leads the company’s corporate community and philanthropic strategy, which is focused on fostering youth and furthering education. Before coming to Chick-fil-A, Bullard served as an Assistant United States Attorney prosecuting complex criminal cases. He has also served as a White House Fellow working directly for the NASA Administrator, and in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps eventually working at the Pentagon as a Congressional Legislative Liaison. Bullard is a an alumnus of the United States Air Force Academy, Duke University School of Law, the University of Georgia’s Terry School of Business and the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program, and currently serves on several national and local boards of directors, and has received numerous business leadership accolades.

Eileen M. Collins

Colonel (Retired) Eileen Collins is a former astronaut and retired from the Air Force in 2006 after a 28-year distinguished career. A former military instructor and test pilot, she was the first female pilot and commander of a space shuttle. The Syracuse graduate, who earned her master's degree from Stanford, graduated from Air Force undergraduate pilot training from Vance Air Force Base. Col Collins was a C-141 aircraft commander and instructor pilot from 1983-1985 and spent the following year at the Air Force Institute of Technology. From 1986-89, Collins was assigned to the Air Force Academy as an assistant professor in mathematics and a T-41 instructor pilot. She graduated from the Air Force Test Pilot School in 1990 and was selected by NASA to become an astronaut in 1991. Col Collins piloted the space shuttle Discovery in 1995 and was also the pilot for Atlantis in 1997. She became the first woman commander of a U.S. spacecraft with shuttle mission Columbia in 1999. Her final space flight was as commander of Discovery in 2005.

David C. Ramer

David Ramer is the Managing Partner and Executive Vice President of Standard Sales Company, L.P. in Louisville, Kentucky where he is responsible for the management of financial, sales, marketing, training and business development aspects of Anheuser-Busch InBev and craft beer products. Ramer has nearly 30 years of experience in the industry, performing nearly every function in sales and delivery culminating in his current position. Immediately prior to his current position in Louisville, Ramer served in the same capacity in Standard Sales’ Colorado Springs branch. A long-time supporter of Air Force Athletics, Ramer previously served on the Air Force Academy Athletic Foundation board from 2009-2013.

Jim Knowlton joined the Air Force Academy as the Director of Athletics on March 23, 2015. In this capacity he will oversee the 27 intercollegiate varsity sports, the Physical Education Program, the Intramural and Club Programs and all Physical Testing at the Academy. Prior to the Air Force Academy, Knowlton served as the Director of Athletics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and was responsible for overseeing the Institute’s 12 men’s and 11 women’s NCAA intercollegiate varsity teams and three junior varsity squads, involving more than 600 student-athletes, as well as intramurals. From 2003 to 2006 Mr. Knowlton served as both deputy and interim director for the athletics department at West Point, where he led a staff of more than 200 people and supervised 25 intercollegiate athletic programs with more than 1,000 student-athletes. During his tenure, West Point set the stage to earn its first NCAA National Championship in more than 50 years. Mr. Knowlton received a bachelor’s degree in engineering in 1982 from West Point where he was a four-year letter-winner and captain of the varsity hockey team.

Charles H. Coolidge, Jr.

Lt Gen (Retired) Charles Coolidge is currently vice president of Air Force Programs for Airbus Defense and Space. He is responsible for Airbus’ Air Force marketing and business development activities. Lt Gen Coolidge had an extensive and distinguished career in the United States Air Force, retiring after 35 years of service. Prior to joining Airbus, Lt Gen Coolidge served as vice commander, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Throughout his career, he served in various operations and staff positions, including squadron commander, wing vice commander, wing commander and as director of operations and logistics. Lt Gen Coolidge commanded three U.S. Air Force wings and served on the staffs of four major air commands. He also served on the Joint Staff and was the Joint Staff representative to the U.S.-U.S.S.R. Standing Consultative Commission. Coolidge is a graduate of the Air Force Academy and earned a master's degree in physics from the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Gary Spicer, Sr.

Born in a one-room house in rural Tennessee, Gary Spicer was the first in his family to earn a college diploma that he has parlayed into a successful sports and entertainment law practice with offices in Michigan and Tennessee. Spicer graduated from Adrian College in 1964, earned an MBA from Wayne State University in 1965, and served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1965-1971 eventually achieving the rank of Sergeant. He earned his J.D. from Michigan State University/Detroit College of Law in 1969 and later received an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Adrian College in 2002. He also served as an Adjunct Professor teaching Entertainment and Sports Law at Michigan State and the University of Detroit. Spicer has extensive philanthropic experience, and has founded or served on many local and national foundations and boards. A father of six, four of his children have served in and deployed with the U.S. Marine Corps.

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